Sheriff ’s cadet dies running amid high heat
A Harris County Sheriff ’s Office cadet who suffered a medical emergency while training in extreme heat this past weekend and died two days later was a victim of heat stroke, the county’s Institute of Forensic Sciences has said.
Supervisors for 28-year-old Cornelius Anderson saw that “he was in distress” around 3:20 p.m. Friday after finishing a 1.5-mile run at the training academy and called 911. Medics at the law enforcement facility on Atascocita Road tried saving him. He was transported to Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital, where he died Sunday, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Sheriff’s office spokesman Jason Spencer said Anderson and his cadet group had been outside for about an hour. The group stretched and then ran. The medical emergency happened about a half hour before meteorologists recorded triple-digit heat at Bush Intercontinental Airport. The high on Friday was 100, officials said.
There were several breaks for cadets to catch their breath, Spencer said, adding that water was available.
The Internal Affairs Division is investigating the death, Spencer continued, and the academy has suspended all physical training pending a review of the program.
“We’re looking at our protocols to make sure we’re keeping people safe,” Spencer said. “Part of the review is: At what point is the cut-off for outdoor physical activity.”
Anderson, who graduated in 2017 from the University of Houston-Downtown, had worked at the sheriff ’s office since June 2019 as a detention officer. He started July 6 at the training academy and like all cadets, he was required to undergo a medical examination and pass a fitness test.
Spencer said the sheriff ’s office has been in touch with Anderson’s family and that he will receive law enforcement honors at his funeral.
In a statement, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez shared his condolences with
Anderson’s family.
“Cadet Anderson had just embarked on his journey with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office with the goal of serving his community as a deputy,” Gonzalez said in his remarks. “Our entire family is deeply saddened by this loss of an aspiring public servant, and we offer our sincere condolences and prayers to his friends and family as they grieve this terrible loss.”